help need new lights
- Thread starter btwk12
- Start date
btwk12
Member
i was just reading the thread about what lights would be close to metal halides by hawkfish, and i was told that if i got the 12 bulb fixture i could keep anything and it would flourish in my tank, not just live. i want to get a clam or two hope i can keep them, any thoughts? i already have some of the easier sps and they look good but dont grow much so hopefully the new lights will give me some better growth!
btwk12
Member
i have a 125 i upgraded in march i think it comes with 6 10k and 6 460 actinics i would assume they are current bulbs are them not high quality? if not any suggestions, because 12 bulbs prob wont b cheap and if i buy a brand new fixture i really dont wanna spend another couple hundred dollars on bulbs. hopefully some one has this fixture or experience with it and gives me some input.
btwk12
Member
well..... i didnt order them i would like some more input but nobody ever replies but meowser (not that im mad that u reply) i trust what u say. what was thinking now is maybe some metal halide pendants(2) and some supplemental led's for color and more light what do u think would be best? i could spend up to 900
nikesb
Active Member
personally for price/cost, i wouldnt go for the nova extreme pro. you wont get the penetration you want from t5's from a nova extreme pro. i think theyre good for shallow tanks but not good enough for deeper tanks like what you have. i assume its 22" tall. the nova extreme pro will only create 200 par with good bulbs at a depth of 14". your clams if you chose to get them would definately need to be in the upper 1/3 of your tank. sps would still need to be in the upper 1/3. even then, they still wont "flourish" like what you've been told. if you want penetration from t5's you'd want at least a TEK elite fixture.
my suggestion is to get 3 250w radium's on hamilton m80 HQI ballast (this is VERY important) on a lumenmax elite pendant. this will give you the penetration and awesome coloration. I hate the 14k pheonix and it doesnt compare to the radiums. many people here say they love the pheonix but the radiums on their spec'd ballast cannot be beat. you wouldnt even need any supplementation. with 250w radiums you'll be spending 200$ a year on bulbs. with a 12x39w t5, youll be spending 300$ a year on bulbs and thats not a very good deal on a nova extreme pro.
so for a mh setup, you're looking to spend about 1100 on the hardware if you go with the better pendants
my suggestion is to get 3 250w radium's on hamilton m80 HQI ballast (this is VERY important) on a lumenmax elite pendant. this will give you the penetration and awesome coloration. I hate the 14k pheonix and it doesnt compare to the radiums. many people here say they love the pheonix but the radiums on their spec'd ballast cannot be beat. you wouldnt even need any supplementation. with 250w radiums you'll be spending 200$ a year on bulbs. with a 12x39w t5, youll be spending 300$ a year on bulbs and thats not a very good deal on a nova extreme pro.
so for a mh setup, you're looking to spend about 1100 on the hardware if you go with the better pendants
btwk12
Member
ty meowser your always a big help! if not i will go with the extreme pro's. I have been goin to the same lfs since i have been in this hobby, and the guy has the nova extreme metal halides, and he has always said he wishes he would have went with the 12 bulb fixture instead of the halides. and thats a 225 gal tank
2quills
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by btwk12 http:///forum/thread/379975/help-need-new-lights#post_3305348
ty meowser your always a big help! if not i will go with the extreme pro's. I have been goin to the same lfs since i have been in this hobby, and the guy has the nova extreme metal halides, and he has always said he wishes he would have went with the 12 bulb fixture instead of the halides. and thats a 225 gal tank
The thing about T5's like Nike mentioned, is the amount of light needed to keep sps and clams doesn't penetrate deep enough into the tank to be able to keep them very far down. With a higher quality fixture like a TEK or an ATI that uses better ballast and better reflectors you'll get better penetration but you will still need to be selective as to where you place these creatures inside of your tank.
So it's not necissarily the amount of bulbs that you have because without the right kind of reflectors and ballasts kicking out the higher output then you could have 20 bulbs on there and it wouldn't make much of a difference.
Originally Posted by btwk12 http:///forum/thread/379975/help-need-new-lights#post_3305348
ty meowser your always a big help! if not i will go with the extreme pro's. I have been goin to the same lfs since i have been in this hobby, and the guy has the nova extreme metal halides, and he has always said he wishes he would have went with the 12 bulb fixture instead of the halides. and thats a 225 gal tank
The thing about T5's like Nike mentioned, is the amount of light needed to keep sps and clams doesn't penetrate deep enough into the tank to be able to keep them very far down. With a higher quality fixture like a TEK or an ATI that uses better ballast and better reflectors you'll get better penetration but you will still need to be selective as to where you place these creatures inside of your tank.
So it's not necissarily the amount of bulbs that you have because without the right kind of reflectors and ballasts kicking out the higher output then you could have 20 bulbs on there and it wouldn't make much of a difference.
btwk12
Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by nikeSB http:///forum/thread/379975/help-need-new-lights#post_3305347
personally for price/cost, i wouldnt go for the nova extreme pro. you wont get the penetration you want from t5's from a nova extreme pro. i think theyre good for shallow tanks but not good enough for deeper tanks like what you have. i assume its 22" tall. the nova extreme pro will only create 200 par with good bulbs at a depth of 14". your clams if you chose to get them would definately need to be in the upper 1/3 of your tank. sps would still need to be in the upper 1/3. even then, they still wont "flourish" like what you've been told. if you want penetration from t5's you'd want at least a TEK elite fixture.
my suggestion is to get 3 250w radium's on hamilton m80 HQI ballast (this is VERY important) on a lumenmax elite pendant. this will give you the penetration and awesome coloration. I hate the 14k pheonix and it doesnt compare to the radiums. many people here say they love the pheonix but the radiums on their spec'd ballast cannot be beat. you wouldnt even need any supplementation. with 250w radiums you'll be spending 200$ a year on bulbs. with a 12x39w t5, youll be spending 300$ a year on bulbs and thats not a very good deal on a nova extreme pro.
so for a mh setup, you're looking to spend about 1100 on the hardware if you go with the better pendants
wow thats a lot of info i know nothing about lmao! i was hoping i could just buy a fixture with everything included and just set it up. i also have a center divider on my tank thats a couple inches wide so a 3rd light in the middle seems pointless
and my tank is 19'' tall so maybe its not a 125 slightly smaller i guess maybe 110 gal
Originally Posted by nikeSB http:///forum/thread/379975/help-need-new-lights#post_3305347
personally for price/cost, i wouldnt go for the nova extreme pro. you wont get the penetration you want from t5's from a nova extreme pro. i think theyre good for shallow tanks but not good enough for deeper tanks like what you have. i assume its 22" tall. the nova extreme pro will only create 200 par with good bulbs at a depth of 14". your clams if you chose to get them would definately need to be in the upper 1/3 of your tank. sps would still need to be in the upper 1/3. even then, they still wont "flourish" like what you've been told. if you want penetration from t5's you'd want at least a TEK elite fixture.
my suggestion is to get 3 250w radium's on hamilton m80 HQI ballast (this is VERY important) on a lumenmax elite pendant. this will give you the penetration and awesome coloration. I hate the 14k pheonix and it doesnt compare to the radiums. many people here say they love the pheonix but the radiums on their spec'd ballast cannot be beat. you wouldnt even need any supplementation. with 250w radiums you'll be spending 200$ a year on bulbs. with a 12x39w t5, youll be spending 300$ a year on bulbs and thats not a very good deal on a nova extreme pro.
so for a mh setup, you're looking to spend about 1100 on the hardware if you go with the better pendants
wow thats a lot of info i know nothing about lmao! i was hoping i could just buy a fixture with everything included and just set it up. i also have a center divider on my tank thats a couple inches wide so a 3rd light in the middle seems pointless
nikesb
Active Member
since thats the case, 2 lumenarc III pendants would give you more spread but less par, but still more than the nova extreme pro. 19" tall is better, but the nova extreme still wont penetrate that far. if you want penetration, check out ati fixtures. I just switched to one on a shallow tank and had to raise up these t5's about 13" above my water and its still probably more par than my nova extreme. it wasnt a pro, but they use the same components. the "pro" just makes it 6 bulbs instead of 4.
btwk12
Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by nikeSB http:///forum/thread/379975/help-need-new-lights#post_3305359
since thats the case, 2 lumenarc III pendants would give you more spread but less par, but still more than the nova extreme pro. 19" tall is better, but the nova extreme still wont penetrate that far. if you want penetration, check out ati fixtures. I just switched to one on a shallow tank and had to raise up these t5's about 13" above my water and its still probably more par than my nova extreme. it wasnt a pro, but they use the same components. the "pro" just makes it 6 bulbs instead of 4.
i was looking up tek elite and still havent found a 72'' fixture maybe point in the direction without getting in trouble? and i dont have to absolutley have t5's if i can find a mh fixture that would do better than the t5's i will go with that even if i have to spend a lil more $ not a whole lot more though lol! and dimensions are 72x19x19 outside tank not sure inside
Originally Posted by nikeSB http:///forum/thread/379975/help-need-new-lights#post_3305359
since thats the case, 2 lumenarc III pendants would give you more spread but less par, but still more than the nova extreme pro. 19" tall is better, but the nova extreme still wont penetrate that far. if you want penetration, check out ati fixtures. I just switched to one on a shallow tank and had to raise up these t5's about 13" above my water and its still probably more par than my nova extreme. it wasnt a pro, but they use the same components. the "pro" just makes it 6 bulbs instead of 4.
i was looking up tek elite and still havent found a 72'' fixture maybe point in the direction without getting in trouble? and i dont have to absolutley have t5's if i can find a mh fixture that would do better than the t5's i will go with that even if i have to spend a lil more $ not a whole lot more though lol! and dimensions are 72x19x19 outside tank not sure inside